Integrated micro-tubular SOFC stack supported by a monolithic porous zirconia prepared using 3D printing technology

3D printing presents a revolutionary solution in overcoming traditional challenges of the fabrication of the integrated solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack. The complete preparation process of intact monolithic porous inert support using stereolithography apparatus (SLA)-based 3D printing technology is developed for the first time, including the formulation of the photocurable slurry and the procedure of the heat treatment process. The integrated three-cell SOFC stack supported by this 3D-printed monolithic porous inert support shows a maximum power density of 683 mW·cm-2 at 800 oC. The high output performance obtained shows the success of applying SLA-based 3D printing to fabricate integrated SOFC stack in a simple way. The complete developed process reported here provides a basis to achieve more rapid, automated, large-scale fabrication of 3D-printed porous ceramic support and integrated SOFC stack.